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A comment on More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Somalia to cashless society. Parent comment

Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by plesner on Sunday February 28, 2016 @01:23PM (#11191749)
No question, we're quickly moving away from physical Kroner. There's also political and especially business pressure to get rid of them. However, it's not true that they're obsolete or somehow similar to new yen.

I think it's a point worth emphasizing because going cashless is a huge decision, especially the way we're moving towards in Denmark. There's a discussion to be had around it and if we just accept that it's inevitable or has already happened then that kills that discussion before it's even taken place.

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Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by Pamar on Monday February 29, 2016 @04:39PM (#11198790)
I have a question. Suppose I visit Denmark again, and I decide to hire a prostitute. Am I expected to pay by credit card, debit or contactless?
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Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by Symbiote on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @01:17PM (#11204748)
Presumably, that works the same way as the people buying cannabis in Christiania — I briefly lived close to Christiania. The cash machines next to the metro station are the only ones where I've ever seen a queue, sometimes 4-5 people waiting at each one!
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Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by Pamar on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @03:57PM (#11205985)
Forcing everyone to use e-money only has a few drawbacks. There will always be things that you don't want to be associated with - even if prostitution is legal in your country, if you are married you would prefer this transaction to be untraceable, I suppose. Another possible drawback is that once money is only available through "controlled" sources, you could find yourself subject to redlining (see: http://www.engadget.com/2015/12/02/paypal-square-and-big-ban...).

So while I find e-money convenient and practical, I do not think that society would be "better" if physical money went away.

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